Montreal Canadiens have what it takes to end the Stanley Cup wait

Following changes to the coaching staff and reinforcements in attack, the Montreal Canadiens are now considered Stanley Cup contenders. The club re-signed head coach Martin St. Louis and added forward Chris Kreider, who signed a one-year deal after his contract with the Anaheim Ducks was terminated. Kreider brings extensive NHL experience and ranks third in goals and fifth in games played in New York Rangers history (326 goals, 883 games), while St. Louis has extended his stay with a four-year contract running through the 2029–30 season.

According to NHL, journalist Dan Rosen ranked Montreal among the contenders for the 2026–27 season and predicted the team could become the first Canada-based club to lift the Stanley Cup since 1993, leaving behind the reigning champions Carolina Hurricanes and finalists Vegas Golden Knights.

The rebuild that began with the front-office appointments has paid off: Jeff Gorton was named executive vice-president of hockey operations in November 2021, Kent Hughes arrived as general manager in January 2022, and Martin St. Louis took over behind the bench in February 2022. After a three-year playoff absence (2021–24), the team has shown improvement and built a new talented core.

The atmosphere in the locker room and leadership roles are part of this progress. Josh Anderson was named alternate captain on September 14, following a postseason in which he scored five goals in 19 playoff games and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Final; captain Nick Suzuki praised his collaboration and impact. Coach St. Louis has described Kreider as an experienced, net-front addition — a player with physical strength and a knack for deflected goals — while the management seeks more toughness and experience to face the challenges of the playoffs.

A key factor is also the goaltenders’ performance: Jakub Dobes posted last season an average of 2.66 goals against, a .908 save percentage and nine wins, including several decisive games in the opening rounds. If he delivers clutch saves in the postseason, Montreal could have a chance to fight for the title. Rosen thinks this is possible and, upon review, I also see this outlook as reasonable, as NHL reports.

Source: NHL